Louis Armstrong scores revived by Bristol Jazz and Blues Festival

Festival celebrates a founding father of jazz with city outreach project

Published: November 21, 2014 at 11:41 am

As part of its third Jazz and Blues Festival, Bristol is further exploring the music of New Orleans with a visit by Ricky Riccardi, the archivist at New York’s Louis Armstrong House Museum.

His two-week stay next spring will include a jazz outreach project, with talks at schools about trumpeter Louis Armstrong’s (1901-71) life and the development of jazz. Among its vast resources the museum contains furniture, instruments, recordings and photos that belonged to the jazz legend and his wife Lucille.

During the annual festival (5-8 March 2015), a 17-piece band will perform in the style of an original Armstrong concert with visiting musicians from New Orleans, including singer Lillian Boutté and actor/musician Clarke Peters, who will be reading letters and memories from Armstrong’s autobiography. This concert, entitled ‘The Louis Armstrong Story’ promises the inclusion of some of Armstrong’s big band scores that haven’t been performed since 1947.

The New Orleans multi-instrumentalist Dr John will also attend the festival, as will a host of UK jazz talent including Bristol-based saxophonist Andy Sheppard and cutting-edge Cardiff band Slowly Rolling Camera.

Visit www.bristoljazzandbluesfest.com for a full line up and more information about the festival

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